Monthly Archives: July 2013

Well, I’m home from the RWA conference, and while I’m exhausted, it was fantastic. I learned so much, had a lightening bulb moment for a series of books (yay me!), and am energized about my writing.

Oh, and I found my ‘long lost sister’. <cue Twilight Zone music>

On Thursday, I was at the elevators, and a woman said hello as she walked by me. She stopped in her tracks, backed up and said “I’ve been hearing all day there’s a woman who looks like me. I think it’s you.” I looked at her, and did see a resemblance. I told her that for years people have been telling me about a woman who looks like me and used to work there <insert my place of employment> before me. Seriously, it happened at the insurance company I worked at in St. Petersburg, at Pier 1 Imports in Tampa, and at my current job in Dallas. And since it happened so much, it became a joke that she was my evil twin sister. So Lina (my doppelganger) and I laughed, and she moved on.

I kept running in to her the rest of the day. Now keep in mind there were over 2,000 people at this conference, and we kept seeing each other. That night I went to an ice cream social, and there she was. Here’s where the “woo-woo” comes in.

Lina: “Okay, now we have to stay in touch. Did I give you my card yet?” She handed me her business card.

Me: “No, not yet.” I looked at her card and goosebumps sprang up on my arms and along my neck. I had my own business cards in my name badge holder, and turned it around to show it to her.

Lina: “Oh, I gave it to you already.”

I shook my head. “No, these are my business cards.”

The picture on the cards were exactly the same. I think our goosebumps even matched.

Weirder part? We have the same haircut, wear same style of glasses, are the same height, and our favorite color to wear is black.

I’m flying out tomorrow to Atlanta for the RWA Conference, and am so excited I can’t stand it. I’ve been watching facebook posts by authors lucky enough to already be there, and I’ve seen a few pictures from the hotel. The Marriott Marquis is really getting into the spirit of the conference – they have wrapped the elevators with giant book covers! Isn’t that amazing?

I’ve written my pitch (to non-writers, that’s the short “blurb” writers use to try and sell their story to editors and agents)…basically, what you’d see on the back of the book that entices you to read it. I’ve also written the logline – the one sentence that encapsulates your story – great to use if you meet someone who asks what your book is about. It’s short enough you can say it on an elevator ride, but get the point across about your book.

I have to laugh, however. I blew my chance last night to actually practice an ‘elevator pitch’. I walked out with my boss last night and he asked where I was going this week. I told him about the conference, and that I have 3 pitch appointments. We literally stepped on the elevator and he asked what my book was about. I was so surprised I forgot the logline I’d written. Keep your fingers crossed that I don’t do that in Atlanta!

I’ll be checking in periodically on facebook and twitter. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hard to believe that one week from today I will be in my 3rd workshop at Nationals. For my non-writer friends, this is a HUGE, MAJOR conference for Romance Writers of America. This is my 4th year to go, and every year it’s in a different city. This year is Atlanta, and bless Dallas for prepping me for hot, humid, bad hair days. Yes, Atlanta in JULY. Ugh. But, I don’t plan on leaving the conference hotel, so hopefully that air conditioning will kick in and it won’t be too bad.

Anyhow, I love going to this conference. This would be, for you music fans, going to a conference where all your favorite rock stars are gathered. Yes, I can be fan-girl crazy when I get to meet my favorite authors…at least on the inside. On the outside, I maintain a professional demeanor. I just have to remember that one of these days I hope to have my own books on bookshelves next to my favorite authors. (Oops, there goes the fan-girl again!)

RWA Nationals is 3 days of high energy pandemonium. What else can it be when 2,000 women (and some men!) get together in one place to talk about something we all love: WRITING. The workshops are fantastic, and I already have the ones I want to attend chosen, printed out the handouts, and the extra events on my calendar. I always come back so energized from Nationals, so I’ll be ready and rarin’ to go on the next manuscript.

The conference ends with the RITA and GOLDEN HEART awards on Saturday night. Now, to non-writers, I liken these to the Oscars and Emmy awards. RITAS are for the books published in 2012, and the Golden Hearts are for unpublished manuscripts. I have my favorites picked out already, and will be waiting with breathless anticipation as they announce the winners in each category.

I’ll keep in touch via facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAllisonBCollins and twitter: @allisonbcollins if you want to follow along and see the fun I’m having.

Oh, and please say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed, or whatever you do for luck. I’m pitching my manuscript to an agent and an editor next week. (Cue the butterflies in my stomach.)

Let me tell you, it’s quite daunting to create, design, and publish a new website of my very own. Thoughts of “what will I write every day/week/month?” to “will anyone ever find me?” and “just how many friends can I beg to come over and see my new blog?” have filled my mind since I committed to getting this done.

So far, the hardest part was choosing the theme for the blog! And I don’t mean “what’s it all about, Alfie” theme…I mean, choosing the color, layout, design for the gosh darn website. So don’t be surprised when it changes periodically.

So, anyway, why am I here? Because I want to be an author more than anything in this world. I love books. If I could, I would surround myself with books in every room, and do nothing but read. Therefore, the extension is to WRITE the types of stories I love to read. I love all types of books, but Romance is nearest and dearest to my heart.

As my tagline says, “Everyone deserves a Happily Ever After”.

While I have, oh, say, five or ten stories I have begun over the years, and ideas for another thirty or so, I have just finished my first Contemporary Romance novel. I have been consumed with this story for the last six months. I love these characters, the plot, the setting…it’s going to be hard letting go of it, but it’s time.

Now I have to get it out to agents and editors…

Eeeek!

I’ll be talking more about my story(ies) in the near future, so I hope you’ll come along and have some fun with me.